In what might very well become a reboot of a reboot, Halloween Returns has officially been announced by Dimension Films and Trancas International Films — meaning buying a relevant Halloween costume next year just became much cheaper. According toEW, the film begins production in July under the direction of Marcus Dunstan — taking the throne from Rob Zombie.
Zombie's two stabs at the Halloween franchise — the succinctly named Halloween and Halloween II, respectively — benefited from frugal budgets, making their healthy box office hauls even more profitable. "Michael Myers has taken a long break from the big screen," Bob Weinstein (co-chair of Dimension and, of course, The Weinstein Company) said in a statement. "We know fans are eager to see him return and look forward to bringing one of the scariest installments of this classic franchise to audiences worldwide.”
If you're somehow unfamiliar with the work of Michael Myers (note: not Mike Myers), just know he's a relatively slow-moving guy in a throwback Dickies outfit typically donning a vaguely human mask. Zombie's films took special care to develop a prominent backstory for the character, an approach which may or may not bleed into Halloween Returns. Thus far, plot details have not been revealed — though Collider points to a possible leaked summary via Moviehole:
Halloween Returns will pit a new group of Haddonfield youngsters against Myers. The now 18-year-old child of one of Myers’ victims plays a central role along with the child of a cop whose long been obsessed with Myers’ case, even putting it before his own daughter.
